Page 63 of Wolf Desired
“Or an agent,” she added.
He thought about it and then nodded. “Perhaps we are not that different.”
“So, where does this leave us going forward? Especially after what happened between us just now and yesterday with Tiernan. I care about him, Rafe. I can’t. . . I won’t. . . just shove him aside as if he doesn’t matter.”
Rafe blew out air. “I don’t have the answers. I’m highly attracted to you, but I can’t be with you beyond what we have here. Your being human causes problems for a shifter in my position.”
“Fair enough, I guess.” She couldn’t help feeling hurt, but on some level, she understood. And there was the complication of Tiernan. Damn. She shouldn’t be thinking of him as a complication. He was a sweet, gentle shifter who she was growing more and more attached to everyday. Just like Rafe. And Maddox.
“We stay friends. Teammates,” Rafe said, his voice once again holding that definitive air.
She nodded. There wasn’t anything else to say or do. She walked away as confused as ever about where she stood with Rafe and these shifters as a whole. Perhaps if she just stepped away for a few days, the answer would come to her.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
ALYSSA
Four days later, the agents and shifters of the training program sat in the tiered classroom, watching the last of the footage from the ops the teams had been assigned. Alyssa’s stomach growled as the clock flashed 6pm.
“That better be your stomach and not Tiernan’s wolf,” Maddox joked next to her.
“I’m starved. We’ve been in here since noon and I skipped lunch.”
A few of the other humans and shifters were fidgeting in their seats.
“Settle down, everyone,” Agent Graves said from where he stood at the front of the room. “We’re almost done. I have one last thing to say. I want to commend all the teams on the successful apprehension of their targets. Rafe, after reviewing all the ops, your team is in the lead with the most points. While all the teams achieved their goals, whatever you did scared the hell out of the anti-shifters you, Maddox, and Tiernan brought in. They’ve been spilling their guts ever since we transferred them to the DSA office in Denver. They’ve already given our agents a lot of useful information.”
“You left off mentioning Artemis, Agent Graves,” Rafe said from where he sat in the third row, three seats over from Alyssa. “Her help was invaluable.”
“Yes, I read the report and overlooked the fact that your team had an unfair advantage by having a woman on your team.”
“Unfair advantage?” Alyssa questioned out loud.
“You used your body to distract your targets.”
“Playing decoy is a valid tactic.”
“It is when done properly. You failed to follow basic protocols, Artemis. You’re lucky I don’t kick you out of this program right now.”
“Wow, wait a minute. I helped catch our targets. Alive.”
“You got lucky.” Graves scowled at her before lifting his chin. “You used your body to distract the target without backup. You left your weapon behind and went into that warehouse unarmed. Need I go on, Agent? Next time, use some real skills, ones you were taught. Maybe pay attention to what your teammates are doing and learn from them instead of being a loner and risking everyone’s lives.”
Real skills. She’d be happy to use herreal skillson Graves and get the asshole off her back already. Maybe a few bullet holes. No, that was too easy. Besides, getting rid of a misogynist wasn’t why she was here.
Tiernan gripped her hand in his under the table. “Ignore him,” he whispered. “He’s an ass.”
The feel of Tiernan’s hand calmed her. He was right. Graves was nothing, a nobody. She’d get on with her job and ignore the asshole the best she could. She could tolerate him as long as necessary, especially with three shifters on her side.
“Thank you,” she whispered back to Tiernan.
“You have it wrong,” Rafe spoke up to Graves, not willing to let the subject drop. “I’m the one who erred on this op. Without Artemis’s quick thinking and courage, Tiernan, 86, and I would probably be dead.”
“You’re looking at it backward. She should have gone for backup. She risked your lives. Helping you escape was nothing more than luck.”
“Did you even read the report she submitted?” Graves asked.
“That’s another thing. Next time, you write the report. She embellished the facts to make herself look good.” Before Rafe could argue with Graves, the man held up his hands. “I’m not wasting any more time on this. Tell yourself what you want, Rafe, but either get control of Artemis, or the next time you’re in a tight spot you may not survive. Meeting dismissed.” Grave clicked the large screen off and headed out of the classroom.
